Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong (born 9 September 1987), better known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays for Djiboutian side
Arta/Solar7 as a
central or
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...
. He can also play as a
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
.
Originally a utility player on the fringes of the first team, Song quickly became an integral part of
Arsenal's starting 11 during the
2008–09 pre-season, eventually leading to a €15 million transfer to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in 2012.
Song played for the
Cameroon national team in the
2010 and
2014 FIFA World Cups.
[2010 FIFA World Cup™ – Alexandre SONG](_blank)
. FIFA. He was called up for the
2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was the only Cameroonian named in the Team of the Tournament. Song also possesses a French passport.
He is the nephew of former footballer
Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Cameroon national team.
Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back but could also operate at right-back ...
.
Background
Song was born in
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...
, Cameroon, and lost his father at the age of three. Since then, his uncle
Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Cameroon national team.
Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back but could also operate at right-back ...
has been like a second father and was a major influence in choosing football as a career. Unable to find a club or academy where he could hone his skills, Petit Song (as he is known in the Cameroon side) opted to move to France, joining
Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
at age 16.
One of the players who inspired Song the most when he was young was
Michael Essien.
In 2011, Song became an ambassador for
Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit organisation working through football to stop the spread of
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
.
Club career
Bastia
Song joined the Bastia youth team in
2003–04 and became a part of the first team the following season with 31 appearances. Bastia were playing in
Ligue 1 during the time Song had a stint there. Song was noted for his high versatility
While playing for Bastia, he was selected as a part of
France under-16 national team. He later chose to represent Cameroon, his country of birth. He played as a centre-back but later made several appearances as a defensive midfielder. He was highly regarded in this position by numerous coaches and supporters of Bastia. During his time at Bastia, he attracted attention from numerous clubs, including
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is t ...
,
Juventus,
Manchester United,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
.
Unwilling to sell their prized asset, Bastia agreed to loan him to the Gunners for one season only in 2005.
Despite being linked heavily with Lyon, he was sold to
Arsenal for a £1 million transfer fee.
During his time at
Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
, Song made a total of 32 league appearances.
Arsenal
Song impressed Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger as a trialist during Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Austria, and Arsenal secured his services on loan for the
2005–06 season on 11 August 2005.
Arsenal agreed to a £1 million fee in June 2006 and signed him to a four-year contract. Song made his
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
debut during Arsenal's 2–0 win against
Everton on 19 September 2005 as a substitute. He played in several
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
matches and made several Premier League starts near the end of the season, when first team players were injured or being rested.
Song scored his first goal for Arsenal against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
in Arsenal's 6–3 win at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
quarterfinals on 9 January 2007.
On 30 January 2007, it was confirmed that
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
had signed Song on loan until the end of the
2006–07 season. Although he impressed, Charlton were relegated and Song returned to Arsenal.
Over the
2007–08 season, Song started at centre back for Arsenal's
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
matches, but missed their semi-final elimination by
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
while away with Cameroon at the
Africa Cup of Nations. He also started at centre-back in Premier League matches towards the end of the season, most notably in Arsenal's crucial visit to
Old Trafford against Manchester United, while regular starter
Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Championship side Wigan Athletic. He played as a defender for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and the Ivory Co ...
filled in for
Bacary Sagna at right-back.
2008–09 season
The
2008–09 season was Song's breakthrough year with Arsenal. The then 21-year-old established himself as a key member of Arsène Wenger's squad, making 48 appearances in all competitions. He enjoyed his most productive and eye-catching campaign yet as he emerged as a forte and powerhouse of Arsenal's midfield being the perfect partner for
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.
Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when ...
in Arsenal's centre. Of the Cameroonian, Wenger remarked, "I brought him here aged 17 and worked very hard with him, we worked hard because I felt he had the talent to become a good player. I know that the opinions are changing about him now."
On 21 October 2008, Song scored his first goal in
European competition The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union. Tendered by European Movement Germany, it is the oldest student competition ...
for Arsenal against
Fenerbahçe in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
. Song's first league goal, and third in all competitions for the Gunners, was scored against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on 11 April 2009 in which he took on several players and then coolly finished in the bottom corner. Arsenal won the match 4–1.
2009–10 season
Song began the season well, playing in all but one of Arsenal's first 12 league games. He was voted third in the Arsenal.com player of the month award for October, behind winner Cesc Fàbregas and runner-up
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...
. After putting in consistently commanding performances at the heart of midfield, allowing Arsenal's creative attackers to operate effectively, Song established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. On 25 November 2009, Song signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, lasting until 2014. On 30 December 2009, he scored his second goal in the league for Arsenal when he completed the scoring in a 4–1 win over
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
at
Fratton Park.
2010–11 season
![Goal mouth melee 4 (6954477162)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Goal_mouth_melee_4_%286954477162%29.jpg)
Song continued to be one of the first names on the team sheet, as he made a superb start to the
2010–11 season, establishing himself in front of the back four. He scored the 1,000th Arsenal Premier League goal under Arsène Wenger in a 4–1 win against
Bolton Wanderers on 11 September 2010. On the downside, the following game he was sent off for two bookable offences. The strong midfielder has become a more adventurous element in the Arsenal midfield, helping the forward line with his movement. On 28 August 2010, Song completed the full 90 minutes in the game against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
in a 2–1 win at
Ewood Park. On 19 October 2010, he scored the first goal of the match for Arsenal against the Ukrainian side
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
in a 5–1 win for Arsenal.
On 24 October 2010, Song scored his third goal of the season, the second goal at
Eastlands against
Manchester City in a 3–0 Arsenal victory. On 30 October 2010, he scored a vital 88th minute diving header for Arsenal from a cross by
Gaël Clichy at the
Emirates Stadium against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in the league, leading to an important 1–0 victory for Arsenal. On 27 December 2010, Song scored the first goal in a 3–1 victory over
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
at the Emirates. In February 2011, Song had his car impounded by
Hertfordshire Police after he was caught speeding and failed to provide relevant documentation. During the 2010–11 season, he made 42 appearances in total, scored five goals and contributed three assists in all competitions for the Gunners.
2011–12 season
With the departure of Cesc Fàbregas to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, Song was assigned to provide the assists for the club alongside
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey (born 26 December 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Wales national team. Ramsey mainly plays as a box-to-box midfielder, but has also been deployed on the left ...
. During a league match at
Newcastle United, Song stamped on
Joey Barton
Joseph Anthony Barton (born 2 September 1982) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City. He is currently the man ...
, resulting in him being charged with improper conduct and given a three-match ban. On 24 September 2011, Song scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home victory against Bolton. He provided an assist to Robin van Persie following a dribble for the first goal in a
Champions League match against
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
on 23 November to secure a place for Arsenal in the last 16. Wenger said in November:
I thought about that Fulham game recently, It shows that players need to be given time and confidence. Unfortunately at the big clubs you cannot always do it. He is one of the players who surprised everybody. You wouldn't expect what he delivers at the moment.
Song again assisted Van Persie – who scored a volley – during a match against Everton which also proved to be the only goal as the 125th anniversary game ended 1–0 to Arsenal. Song also showed his assisting skills in the following matches: in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
match against
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, Song played a through ball past four Leeds players to the returning legend,
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
. The game ended 1–0, sending Arsenal into the fourth round of the FA Cup. He then provided two assists in back to back matches against Tottenham at home for
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton and previously for the English national team.
Walcott is a product of the Southampton Academy and started his career with ...
and also the winning goal for Van Persie against Liverpool at Anfield with a delightful long-ball in the dying minutes of the match. The matches ended in 5–2 and 2–1 victories respectively, highlighting the importance of Song's presence in the team not only as an anchorman in the middle but as a playmaking midfielder. Song played an overhead pass to Theo Walcott and claimed an assist against
Aston Villa on 24 March 2012. Arsenal went on to win the game 3–0. His partnership with striker Van Persie was enhanced in a match on 5 May 2012 as he performed his seemingly trademark chip to assist the Dutchman in netting the equaliser against
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
. The game ended 3–3 and it was his 12th assist of the season. He was voted in second place as the Arsenal player of the season by the fans.
Barcelona
![2012 2013 - 25 Alex Song](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/2012_2013_-_25_Alex_Song.jpg)
On 20 August 2012, Song signed a five-year contract with Barcelona for a £15 million transfer fee.
[
] He made his Barcelona debut against
Real Madrid in the
2012 Supercopa de España on 29 August 2012 as a substitute for the last 15 minutes, finishing the match with a perfect passing statistic. He played 20 matches in Barcelona's
La Liga-winning campaign in his first season, and scored one goal, in a 3–1 home win against
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at L ...
on 17 November 2012.
Song was an unused substitute in the
2014 Copa del Rey Final, which Barcelona lost 2–1 to Real Madrid at the
Mestalla Stadium
Mestalla Stadium ( es, Estadio de Mestalla , ca-valencia, Estadi de Mestalla ) is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home of Valencia Club de Fútbol and has a capacity of 48,600 seats, making it the 8th-largest stadium i ...
.
In August 2014, Song was subject to transfer speculation linking him with a season long loan deal to Liverpool.
West Ham United on loan
![Alex Song with West Ham United September 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Alex_Song_with_West_Ham_United_September_2014.jpg)
On 30 August 2014, Song joined West Ham United on a
season-long loan. He was unveiled to the fans on the same day before their home game against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. Song made his debut against
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
as a second-half substitute on 15 September 2014 in a 2–2 draw. He played 31 games for West Ham including three in the FA Cup. Praised for his early season form, his performances deteriorated towards the end of the season as West Ham's form also slumped.
In August 2015, West Ham co-chairman
David Sullivan, announced an agreement with Barcelona to sign Song on a three-year permanent contract subject to a medical. His
season-long loan to West Ham was confirmed on 1 September with West Ham having the option to extend the loan for a further season.
Rubin Kazan
On 21 July 2016,
Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...
reached an agreement to sign Song from Barcelona, subject to a medical. On 1 August 2016, Song officially joined the Russian side on a free transfer after his contract with Barcelona had been terminated.
In January 2018, Song trained with his old club
Arsenal after being allowed to find a new club by Rubin,
but was still registered with Rubin when the
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
continued on 2 March 2018 after their winter break. He was removed from their league registration list on 13 March 2018. It was reported on 2 April 2018 that Rubin sent a complaint to the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, demanding 40 million euros from Song for breach of contract.
Sion
Song signed with
Swiss Super League club
Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Pl ...
on a free transfer on 14 August 2018. In March 2020, Song was one of nine players sacked by Sion for refusing to take a pay cut during the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
.
Arta/Solar7
In November 2020, Song joined Djiboutian club
Arta/Solar7 on a permanent deal. Along with playing for the first team, Song will supervise youth development at Solar over the course of that period.
International career
![Alexandre Song & Mohamed Chihani 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Alexandre_Song_%26_Mohamed_Chihani_2009.jpg)
Song was first capped by
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
in 2005.
He was named in the Cameroon squad for the
2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He played for Cameroon in their first group match, a 4–2 defeat against holders
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
; he replaced
Stéphane Mbia
Stéphane Mbia Etoundi (born 20 May 1986) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or defender.
He played 179 games and scored nine goals in Ligue 1 over nine seasons playing for Rennes, Marseille and Toul ...
at half time, joining his uncle
Rigobert
Rigobert (died c. 743) was a Benedictine monk and later abbot of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Orbais who subsequently succeeded Saint Rieul as bishop of Reims in 698. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Rigobert baptized Charles Ma ...
on the pitch. For the duration of the tournament he was a revelation in defence for Cameroon, earning a Man of the Match award in Cameroon's semi-final, but then going off injured in the final against Egypt. He was nonetheless named in the Tournament Best XI, alongside compatriot
Geremi
Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso (born 20 December 1978), known simply as Geremi, is a Cameroonian former footballer. He was a versatile player able to play at right back, right midfield or defensive midfielder, known for his power, pace, combative ...
.
Song was called up for the
2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was the only Cameroonian named in the Team of the Tournament.
Song was included in the Cameroon squad for the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa. He did not appear in his side's opening loss to
Japan, but played the full 90 in Cameroon's disappointing 2–1 loss to
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. The result ensured that ''Les Lions Indomptables'' were the first country eliminated from the World Cup. He was an unused substitute in Cameroon's final group stage match against the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, a 2–1 loss, but his uncle Rigobert made his final national team appearance in the match.
Song participated in his second
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
at the
2014 tournament in Brazil. In the team's second group match, Song was sent off for violent conduct after striking
Mario Mandžukić
Mario Mandžukić (; born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian football coach and a former player who is an assistant coach of the Croatia national team. As a player, he played as a forward and became known for his aggressiveness, defensive contribution ...
as Cameroon were knocked out, losing 4–0 to
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. Song later apologized to Mandžukić, and to the people of Cameroon for being sent off. FIFA punished Song with a three-match ban from competitive internationals, as well as fining him US$22,300. The match is being investigated for possible match-fixing after allegations in a German newspaper. In December 2014, despite being in-form for his club West Ham United, he was omitted by Cameroon coach
Volker Finke
Volker Finke (born 24 March 1948) is a German football manager. He was the coach of SC Freiburg for 16 years.
Coaching career
On 6 December 2008, Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds announced they signed a contract with Finke as head coach until ...
from the squad for the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international men's football championship of Africa. It was orga ...
.
On 6 January 2015, Song announced his international retirement, aged 27 and earning 49 caps, citing his wish to focus on rebuilding his domestic career with West Ham.
Style of play
A versatile player, Song is capable of playing as a central midfielder, in a holding role, or even as a centre-back, and is primarily known for his energy, physicality, ball-winning abilities, and ability to cover ground quickly, although he is also comfortable on the ball and a strong passer. In 2012, former Barcelona goalkeeper and sports director
Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (, ; born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
The all-time most capped player for the Spain national team for several years, he played with individual and team su ...
described Song as "a player who is good in the air, is physically powerful and tactically astute."
Despite his defensive playing role, Song has been described by former Cameroon coach
Javier Clemente
Javier Clemente Lázaro (; born 12 March 1950) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Forced to retire from playing in his early 20s through injury, he embarked on a coaching career with his first managerial ...
as a "much better player in attack than he is defensively". Indeed, in addition to his defensive and physical qualities, he is also capable of pushing forward, carrying the ball himself, or starting attacking plays with his passing after winning back possession, thus allowing him to transition quickly between the defensive and offensive phases of the game.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Arsenal
*
Football League Cup runner-up:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
Barcelona
*
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
Supercopa de España:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
; runner-up:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
*
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
runner-up:
2013–14
Arta/Solar7
*
Djibouti Premier League
The Djibouti Premier League is the highest division in association football in Djibouti. It was formed in 1987. ASAS Djibouti Télécom is the most successful club in the Djibouti Premier League, having won a total of 7 championships.
Clubs 2022 ...
: 2020–21, 2021–22
*
Djibouti Cup
The Djibouti Cup is the premier professional football tournament in Djibouti.
Winners
*1988: AS Port 0-0 ACPM et, 4-3 pen*1989: AS Port 4–2 Chemin de ...
: 2020–21, 2021–22
Cameroon U17
*
African U-17 Championship
The U-17 Africa Cup of Nations also called TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsoring reason (previously known as the African U-17 Championship) is a bi-annual football competition organised by the sport's African governing body, CA ...
:
2003
Cameroon
*
Africa Cup of Nations runner-up:
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Individual
*
African Player of the Year
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
Third Place: 2012
*
Africa Cup of Nations Best XI:
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2010
*
CAF Team of the Year
The CAF Team of the Year is an annual football award given by the Confederation of African Football during the CAF Awards.
In 2007, the CAF did not choose the team of the year, but rather the best ten players of the last fifty years. The ten pla ...
: 2009, 2012
References
External links
Alex Song on Instagram*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Alex
1987 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Douala
Cameroonian footballers
Cameroon international footballers
French footballers
France youth international footballers
French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent
2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
2010 FIFA World Cup players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
Association football defenders
Association football midfielders
Association football utility players
Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers of Cameroon
SC Bastia players
Arsenal F.C. players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
FC Barcelona players
West Ham United F.C. players
FC Rubin Kazan players
Ligue 1 players
Premier League players
La Liga players
Russian Premier League players
Swiss Super League players
Cameroonian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in France
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Russia
Naturalized citizens of France
FC Sion players
Expatriate footballers in Switzerland
Expatriate footballers in Djibouti
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Djibouti
Djibouti Premier League players
AS Arta/Solar7 players